The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

FAULT

-What the hell does that even mean? – Souna demanded to know with marked anxiety beneath her forced smirk – Have you checked the greenhouse yet? I’m sure he must be in there.

-We have, Your Majesty… We’ve checked everywhere! – Teranha responded with a pained grimace, nodding politely at her – And that’s how we found out that Skhana was gone too… And so is Princess Phomeryka. He took a few of his belongings with him, along with his new armor... So far, everything indicates that they ran away, but we still have to figure out why.

-What? – Queen Histya barked at her, abruptly standing on her feet and giving the Cahenean warrior the deadliest of glares – What do you mean by gone? That cannot be! My daughter was sound asleep the last time I checked!

-Apparently not, Your Grace – The lieutenant replied with an awkward grin, producing a piece of paper from within her armor and placing it on the table for her to see – She left you a note… It says that she is traveling north, and not to fret.

-North? North where? – Souna exclaimed, letting out a surprised yelp – Oh! So, the little troublemaker has talked my poor children into joining her on that absurd trip… She’s got some Xoltunian ways, I can see.

-How dare you? You, hypocrite! – The river monarch cried out, slamming the wooden table with an angry fist – Did you think that I wouldn’t notice that precious son of yours chasing my girl all around like a wolf in heat? If anyone persuaded anybody here, it must have been him!

-Ladies! – Ussiariah called out in a measured tone, eyeing them both scoldingly – What did I just tell you about these petty disputes? There is no use in trying to guess whose fault this is.

-You’re right – Souna sighed, giving him a determined look – We need to start focusing on what’s important here and dispatch a unit to retrieve those kids immediately.

-I wouldn’t advise you to do that – Sehira-Xe´s calm voice stated, making them all turn to look confusedly at her as she ceremoniously stood up.

-What? Why the f**k not? - Souna shrieked, furiously glaring at her – I need my babies back! Right now!

-I know – The Yahurian woman sadly answered – But as much as it crushes your heart, those aren’t babies anymore, and you need to let them follow their own path.

-Are you kidding me? – She huffed with annoyance – My children decide to run away in the middle of the night somehow, and you’re telling me to just hold on and sit back?

-This is their fate, Sister – The masked lady objectively reasoned, looking purposefully into her desperate eyes – And fates need to be fulfilled… You, more than anyone should have learned that by now.

-Oh, so you knew! – Souna gasped in realization, covering her mouth and pointing a wavering finger at her – You had known they would try to run away this whole time, and you still chose to say nothing about it! This is all your f*****g fault!

-I knew Axe would ultimately end up pursuing his calling. That part is true. And I’m sure deep inside, you knew too – The Guider admitted with a slight tilt of her face – But I didn’t know when or how… And I was hoping that he at least would wait until we’d had a proper talk. But it seems I underestimated how strong the pull he’s been experiencing is. And I certainly wasn’t expecting it to drag others with him, but it has.

-See? – Histya screeched, looking smugly in Souna´s way – I knew your weird blue-haired boy was the one to blame!

-This is nobody’s fault – The Yahurian lady insisted – Don’t you understand? Their fates have been intertwined, and there is nothing you could have done about it… It was inevitable!

-So, Axe has gone north searching for answers about his past – Ussiariah deduced, a somber shadow crossing his sight – The answers that we could never give him, no matter how hard we tried.

-And still… Sehira, you saw this coming! – Souna bitterly groaned, searching into her sister’s stoic eyes – But you wouldn’t give us at least a little warning. Why?

-Because I promised him that I wouldn't interfere – Sehira-Xe declared, shaking her head at her with sorrow – And because you would have tried to stop him, and I couldn’t allow that.

-Of course not, you had to honor your precious fate above all! – Souna mocked her, rolling her eyes in clear annoyance.

-Not only that – Her sister serenely remarked – But I am also afraid that if Axe failed to go on this quest, the resentment that had slowly been building inside him might become too dangerous to contain. So, we better pray that he finds what he’s been seeking, for our own sake.

-I thought he said he was no longer susceptible to emotional outbursts – Ahau, who had been silently observing them commented, nodding apprehensively towards Ussi and raising a nervous fist at him– He knows how to control himself, right? You taught him that!

-He does. But what if he chooses not to – Sehira-Xe pointed out, placing a hand over the former king’s shoulder, then turning towards the rest of her perplexed audience and raising an eyebrow – What if he decides to stop controlling the immense power that we all know he owns?

-Would he actually do that? – The Mavaerian king was the first one to speak, asking the question that everyone else was afraid to ask – Do you think that he is capable of going rogue? We had a little taste of that years ago, and it was no fun!

-I don’t know for sure – The masked woman confessed, finally retaking her seat and rubbing the bridge of her nose – But I know there is darkness inside him, and I’ve seen it festering in his soul. He’s had a good upbringing, that’s for sure… And it’s got to count for something. But then again, he has never faced the real world before.

-All the more reason to stop that evil creature then! – King Hethan cried out, enraged. Looking towards Ussi and putting a hand on his chest – I am sorry, Yahun, but if we can’t predict whether the boy will become a threat or not in the near future, we should go ahead and just put that beast down while we still can.

-I’m with the Uplander here! – The Xoltunian declared, raising her hand in solidarity – It has always been a hazard to have that kind of power around… And now that my daughter is at risk all because of it, I say we must eliminate it before it gets out of hand!

-That’s my son you’re talking about, you heartless b***h! – Souna yelled, intending to pounce on her, but being easily restrained by her husband’s arm in the middle of the air.

-You want to try and murder my kid? – He shouted furiously at the Cahenean, then glowered at Histya as well – Go, ahead… Be my guest! Good luck getting anywhere near him without me catching you first!

-And even if you could, that would be completely useless – The Yahurian leader opportunely interjected – You would all be dead before you could even harm a hair on his head…

She paused, letting her words sink into their minds before speaking once again.

-He is not a little child anymore – Sehira-Xe stated – So, Axe’s gift can no longer be destroyed or claimed that easily. The universe chose Ussi as his guardian for a reason… To help him channel this immense force and learn how to fend for himself.

-And he has achieved both! – Ussiariah firmly asserted, nodding fiercely at them – He may be young and confused, but he is not stupid. He definitely knows right from wrong… And he knows how to act!

-Relax, Commander! Nobody is going after your son– King Isthun finally spoke in a purposefully light tone, tilting his head towards the Nevarehan Queen – Not if we have anything to say about it… I promise you that.

-That’s true - No one is hurting that boy on my watch – Favena consented, nodding at the Xoltunian and the Cahenean rulers, then at the golden-haired man –Now, I thought you just said that there is a bigger issue we need to address… So, I am sorry about those kids running away and all, but that’s how teenagers are. And it seems to me that we’ve got bigger fish to fry.

-So that’s it? – Souna slammed her palm on the table, fuming at her – You just want to move on to the next subject while we leave our children wandering alone and unprotected in the inclement lands up north? Have you lost your f*****g mind?

-Sister, that’s enough! – The Yahurian Guider loudly called out, standing on her feet and stomping her way to where Souna stood trembling in patent despair. Once she pulled her into a tight embrace, the Queen finally broke down and helplessly began sobbing in her arms – They are not alone… And I never said that.